Spicy Chickpea-Spinach Soup

Chickpeas are a staple in my diet. I keep canned and dried chickpeas on hand at all times. Dried chickpeas are best kept in jars with some kind of vacuum seal (the kind you keep flour and sugar in, for instance). These jars are also awesome because you can mix and match various legumes in them to make soup mixes.

Spinach is another staple in my diet. I used to eat it raw every day until that e coli debacle. Now I buy it fresh at my local farmer's market (in bunches, not bagged) or frozen (which is great for when it isn't in season or for making quick soups).

This soup is one of my favorites. Hearty and easy, but full of flavor. It was inspired by a Moroccan chickpea-spinach soup I had once at a vegan restaurant. You can keep the ingredients for this on hand at pretty much any time. It keeps well and tastes good in both the summer and the winter. You can also make a lot of variations of it, which I'll note at the bottom.

Spicy Chickpea-Spinach Soup

1 small white onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp chopped shallots
1 tsp whole coriander (or ground, if you prefer)
1 tsp tumeric
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oil for sauteeing (I use grapeseed, but olive works as well)
2 cups vegetable stock (the fake chicken kind if you can find it)
1 can of chickpeas (or about a cup and a half if you're soaking your own, in which case cook them first)
1 box of frozen spinach (or about 2 cups of packed fresh spinach)

1. Fry the onion, garlic, shallots, and coriander in the oil until the onions become translucent. Add the tumeric and continue cooking. It will smell very good. Be careful not to burn the spices.
2. Add cumin and chilli powder, then add half of the vegetable stock to deglaze the pan. Add the other half of the vegetable stock.
3. Add the chickpeas. It is very important that they be cooked already. If they are uncooked, you want to avoid cooking them in the broth. It will make them tough.
4. Defrost the spinach a bit in the microwave if frozen. Chop it into cubes to help it become incorporated. Add to the soup.
5. Let it all cook on medium heat until the spinach is no longer frozen and is soft. You do not want to boil it because the spinach will lose its color and taste bad.
6. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in big deep bowls.

Variations:
-Add a can of diced tomatoes for a richer flavor.
-Add cayenne pepper for an extra kick.
-Before adding spinach, drop whole eggs into the soup, turn up the heat a bit, and let them cook completely. You'll end up with something sort of like hard boiled eggs in your soup. It's a good way to add protein and tastes good. Do not stir, or you'll get scrambled eggs.
-Add cubes of sauteed tofu to make it meatier. Freeze the tofu first to make it extra chewy.
-For a lemony (rather than spicy) soup, omit the chili pepper and cumin. Add lemon pepper and lemon juice instead. Lemon tastes good with both spinach and chickpeas.

Cookies and Cream

There is a lot of mythology about indigenous Americans using all parts of the buffalo and whatnot. Well, today I made two recipes that used all parts of the egg. Except the shell.

Egg custard pudding

1 c. skim milk
4 egg yolks, separated from the whites
1 dropper liquid stevia (vanilla flavored)
Vanilla extract, to taste

Start by heating the milk in a double broiler (a glass bowl over a put of boiling water will work, too). Turn up the heat gradually so the bowl doesn't break. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks together. When the milk is scalding, turn down the heat to medium and add the egg yolks gradually, beating the milk mixture with a wire wisk. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Don't stop whisking, because it will burn or curdle. You know it is done when it coats a spoon without being too watery. Remove from heat. Remove the glass bowl and put it in a bowl of cool water. Now you can add the stevia and vanilla, to taste. After a few minutes gradually add ice to the water (not the custard) or place the bowls in the fridge to cool. This makes a custard "sauce" but if you want to thicken it you can add some arrowroot or cornstarch.

Meringue cookies

4 egg whites, separated from the yolks, at room temperature
1 liquid dropper of stevia
Vanilla extract
Almond extract

Beat the eggs to stiff peaks in a glass or metal bowl. Use a hand mixer. Trying to do this with a whisk will take too long and hurt your arm. You can add cream of tartar to help if you need it. When the eggs are at the right consistency, fold in the flavoring. Don't stir too much or you'll let the air out of the egg whites. You should have a foamy mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spoon the mixture onto an oil-sprayed baking sheet in dallops. Bake for about 20 minutes. Watch the cookies closely to make sure they don't get too browned.

When they're cool, you can sprinkle them with some cinnamon. If you want a more candy-like topping, you can sprinkle the hot cookies with some powdered sugar, which should carmelize.

Serve with the custard on the side for dipping.